147 Minnesota wolves killed in early season

The trend of state officials significantly overestimating the number of dead wolves hunters can claim continued in Minnesota. The quota for the state was 200 – and while a couple of zones met their quotas, the state as a whole fell short by 53. This continues to highlight that the wolf populations are not nearly as dense as the states claim, and that populations are being forced artificially low due to political and not scientific guidelines.

Here’s a snippet from an article on the web site echopress.com:

Hunters registered 147 wolves during the early portion of Minnesota’s first wolf season that ended Nov. 18; 53 fewer than the statewide harvest target, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The wolf harvest trend closely mirrored the deer harvest trend.

“The harvest was highest at the beginning of the season then declined as fewer hunters returned afield,” said Dan Stark, DNR large carnivore specialist. “It’s been a smooth start to the state’s first regulated wolf season. Interest was strong. Harvest is well within expectations.”

The barbaric practice of trapping was added to the arsenal of hunters in various states after it became clear that wolves are not nearly as prevalent or numerous as they were portrayed. Instead of addressing problem confrontations between humans and wolves, state officials would rather take advantage of the revenue stream and score political points.

Science, and not special interests, needs to be driving the wolf management decisions – a mantra of HOWLColorado.